Indian staff at US hotel paid traffickers to have sex with minor on cheap rates

Kavankumar Patel was sentenced on May 26 in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, on two counts of sex trafficking of a minor, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska. Senior US District Judge Joseph F Bataillon handed down the sentence.

Federal prosecutors said Patel will also serve five years of supervised release after completing his prison term. Authorities added that Patel is in the US illegally and is expected to face deportation proceedings after serving his sentence.

The case stems from an investigation launched on January 6, 2025, after officers from the Omaha Police Department responded to a reported theft at an AmericInn hotel in Omaha. During the response, officers identified signs of possible sex trafficking.

A joint investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force and Omaha Police led to the recovery of two girls, aged 15 and 16, who had been brought from another state and were being sold for commercial sex, prosecutors said.

“The two minor females reported that their traffickers had instructed that the minors must engage in sex with hotel staff for a reduced room rate or they would be kicked out of the hotel. Two hotel employees paid the trafficker to have sex with one of the minors and a third hotel employee had sex with the other minor,” a statement said.

Investigators also found that other hotel employees had been involved. Two staff members allegedly paid traffickers to have sex with one of the girls, while another employee had sex with the second survivor.

Prosecutors said hotel workers then allowed the traffickers and the minors to continue staying at the property for several days.

During that period, the traffickers allegedly advertised the girls online and arranged commercial sex encounters. The survivors told investigators they had little food and felt they had no realistic option but to comply with the traffickers’ demands.

US Attorney Lesley Woods said the case highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable children.

She credited law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation for rescuing the victims and bringing those responsible to justice.

“The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will never get tired of working as hard as we need to work to protect the most vulnerable victims in our communities,” she said.

“The Homeland Security Task Force rescued these children from a living nightmare, and anyone with knowledge or suspicion of human trafficking in our communities should reach out to state or federal law enforcement immediately to report those concerns and to be part of the effort to free all of Nebraska’s victims of human trafficking,” she added.

The investigation was conducted by the Homeland Security Task Force and the Omaha Police Department. Federal authorities said the task force brings together multiple agencies to investigate and prosecute human trafficking networks, transnational criminal organisations and other serious crimes.

Officials said the task force places particular emphasis on cases involving children and vulnerable victims. The prosecution of Patel formed part of a broader initiative aimed at dismantling trafficking operations and identifying individuals who facilitate or participate in the exploitation of minors.

Authorities have urged members of the public to report suspected cases of human trafficking to local, state or federal law enforcement agencies.

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